


just doing you a favour

by oneechan



Category: Gintama
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 09:31:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2846237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneechan/pseuds/oneechan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Upon hearing his casual request, Hijikata spat out his drink. The other patrons in the diner glanced back at the booth where the samurai and the officer sat across from one another. As Gintoki subtly skimmed the room to avert the eyes of onlookers, Hijikata wiped his mouth on his sleeve, "...Eh? What?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	just doing you a favour

"Could you sleep with me once?"

Upon hearing his casual request, Hijikata spat out his drink. The other patrons in the diner glanced back at the booth where the samurai and the officer sat across from one another. Only Hijikata was enjoying a meal, seeing as Gintoki had offered to treat him, but was too broke to pay for two orders.

As Gintoki subtly skimmed the room to avert the eyes of onlookers, Hijikata wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

"...Eh? What?" he twisted his pinky finger around in his ear as he spoke. "My ears are a little heavy. I didn't really hear what you said."

"Um..." tentatively, Gintoki repeated himself. "I was asking if you'd sleep with me."

Two blue eyes stared back at him, Hijikata's face utterly blank, as if he had no appropriate reaction to withdraw from his reaction bank, so he simply went without one. Suddenly, he raised a hand and turned to the waitress clearing the neighboring table.

"Um, the bill please-"

"W-wait! Wait a second!" Gintoki pleaded, reaching out to try and lower his hand. "I'm...! I'm not really coming onto you or anything..." he stammered. "You've heard that sex between two men is supposed to be really great, right? Y-you've heard that, too, right? So... I kinda thought it wouldn't hurt to try it once."

Yet again, his honest words were met with an awkward silence, two stony blue eyes staring straight through him, before turning to the waitress again.

"Seriously, the bill though-"

"Wait! Oi! I'm paying for that dog food! At least hear me out!"

Grudgingly, Hijikata turned back around to face him, his lips contorted into a frown. And Gintoki, who was stumbling over words trying to find the right ones, had averted his eyes to the side, and was rubbing the back of his head as an unmistakeable blush rose to his cheeks.

"It's not like you'll get pregnant..." he mumbled. "There's no chance you'll be forced to marry me... So if it's no good, we can just forget it ever happen-"

"Oi." Hijikata interrupted, his brow twitching irritably. "If you're so excited about being a homo, why don't you find someone else?"

At that, Gintoki stilled.

"...No. It has to be you."

"Why me?!"

The blush on Gintoki's cheeks became more apparent, and he lowered his hand.

"Be... because I had a dream. About doing it with a man-"

"That's got nothing to do with me!"

"...And the man in my dream was you."

Red eyes flitted up to catch his reaction, but Hijikata had frozen in shock. His jaw was paralysed, and a mad blush was flaring across his face.

"Hijikata-kun?"

"You...! Stop! Stop it!"

"Stop what?"

"Stop having filthy dreams about me! I'll kill you!" he shouted, his voice quivering.

At that, Gintoki felt his face grow hot. Not only had he said it, but he'd said it loud enough that any remaining customers had undoubtedly heard him.

"If it was up to me I wouldn't dream about you!"

But the majority of even the diner's late customers had left, and the few remaining had grown fearful at the tense scene between the police officer and the samurai, and were already getting up to leave.

Left in what was essentially an empty diner, Hijikata crossed his arms over his chest, nervously glancing from side to side.

"D-don't look at me..." he stuttered.

The sight of him was unreal, a fully clothed officer covering his chest like a stripped and helpless woman.

"Why are you so shy all the sudden?! I'm..." Gintoki averted his eyes to his lap. "I'm embarrassed too!"

"You should be embarrassed, pervert!"

"I'm not a pervert! I'm an ordinary human being...!"

When Hijikata met his eye for a split second, he saw it. He saw the pain and the humiliation in his eyes, far outweighing his own. If anything, Gintoki appeared to be on the verge of tears.

 _If you're dying from the shame, you shouldn't have asked in the first place! Idiot!_ Hijikata thought.

But he couldn't help wondering why Gintoki was so hell bent on the idea. He seemed genuine enough in his request, and he'd certainly perked Hijikata's curiosity, but not enough that he'd trust him. This perm-head was a handful. When he said one thing, he'd do another. The wise thing to do was to turn him down. After all, he-

"Um. I already booked a room, so-"

"NOBODY ASKED YOU TO DO THAT!"

"SHUT UP! You're so noisy! It's just like a police officer to make a racket in a peaceful place!"

Biting his tongue, Hijikata lowered himself back into his seat.

For a minute, it was silent between them.

"...Tomorrow's your day off, right?"

_Huh?_

"Yeah..." Hijikata frowned, surprised he was aware of his schedule. How much care had he put into planning this?

"That's a relief, right? It's not like you'll be interrupting work for this... I'm..." all the while as he rambled, he avoided meeting Hijikata's eye for longer than a second at a time. "...I won't do anything you don't want me to, y'know? If it's that bad, I'll stop... Just tell me to stop and I'll stop... I may not be as popular as Hijikata-kun, but-"

"That's enough." he sighed.

His cold words pricked him like a needle as he watched Hijikata stand up.

"You already booked a room didn't you?"

"...Eh?"

He couldn't entirely justify it himself, but after listening Gintoki's grade-school confession, his resolve to reject him was wavering. As long as nobody found out, there was no reason to deny his own curiosity about Gintoki's experiment. And if he pulled any tricks, he'd kill him, quite simply.

"Hurry up and move."

Dumbfounded, Gintoki blinked at him a few times before dropping the money on the table, and he wordlessly rose to his feet and followed him to the exit, too stunned to speak, or contemplate what had flipped Hijikata's switch.

Though early autumn nights were chilly, the streets of Kabukicho were as lively as ever. Gintoki led the way through the flashing lights and rowdy drunks, and brought him to a halt at the entrance of a shabby love hotel with a blinking red sign. Hijikata pursed his lips at the sight.

"This kind of place, huh..."

"I had to pay for your dinner, too." Gintoki said in his defense. But in fact, he'd struck a bargain with the owner to allow him the room for free. Even the cheapest hotel was out of his budget.

Warily, Hijikata followed him inside, puffing on his cigarette as his eyes scanned the dimly-lit pink halls and Gintoki collected the room key from the owner. No doubt, more than love was happening at this hotel; the scent of drugs hung heavy in the air.

As he trailed down the hall after Gintoki, the noise from the outside streets faded with every step, until they'd reached a quiet room near the end. Somehow, butterflies didn't kick until the door opened, and Hijikata laid eyes on the tidy pink bed waiting inside. Suddenly his legs froze.

"Hm?" glancing back, Gintoki found Hijikata still rooted where he stood in the hall. "What's wrong?"

His legs refused to budge, even to take a step back, and his stomach turned as doubt and regret began to sink in.

"I... I can't do this..."

Gintoki raised a brow at his timidness.

"What?"

"I've... never done this before..."

"Never done _this_?" Gintoki echoed, making his way back to where Hijikata stood. "Never slept with a man, you mean?"

There was a pause, in which blue eyes shifted to the side, and his cheeks flushed pink.

"Uh... Yeah... That."

 _Virgin! This guy's a total virgin!_ gasped the voice in Gintoki's head.

Realising that, Hijikata's hesitation didn't seem quite so strange. But it was absurd, nonetheless, to think a young man as handsome and sought out as the vice chief of the Shinsengumi... was a flustered, tongue-tied virgin. And yet, though he knew he'd be damned by the gods for it, his lust for him escalated so quickly he was already getting hard.

 _Sorry, Hijikata-kun._ he thought.  _I may be a pervert after all._

"There, there." he assured him, careful not to touch him in his flighty state. "There's a first time for everything, right?"

At the sound of footsteps and giggles, Hijikata's head turned to the side, and he watched as a couple scurried into the neighboring room, hand in hand, and shut the door. Actually, he was quite irritated with himself for being so tentative, knowing that bastard was likely judging him every second of the way. With that thought, he willed his legs to move. And Gintoki took every precaution to make sure he wouldn't feel cornered or pressured, waiting until Hijikata had reached the bed to close the door. He was slowly coming to learn that the demonic vice chief was a surprisingly fragile heart.

As Hijikata stood at the edge of the bed, glaring down at the fluffy pink covers, Gintoki placed his sword in the corner of the room beside his.

"You're too stiff." he sighed, brushing past him and flopping down on the bed.

Blue eyes shifted from the bed to Gintoki, who lay sprawled on his back with his arms out, and whose gaze suddenly flickered up to meet his.

"Try it. It won't bite."

"Shut up..."

Embarrassed by his own behaviour, Hijikata sat himself on the edge of the bed, and fell back on it. It was unbelievably soft, those tacky pink covers, so soft he felt as though he were lying on a cloud. In the silence between them, Hijikata found himself a bit drowsy, though he was alert again at the sound of Gintoki shifting on the bed. When his eyes flickered open he saw Gintoki hovering above him, and his stomach fluttered again as he grew anxious under his stare. He was beginning to question why such a thing was happening at all; this man was constantly grating on his nerves. How did he end up in bed with him, of all people?

"You good?"

"...Yeah."

"Then..."

Holding his breath, Gintoki leaned in to kiss him, only to have a hand thrust against his face and push him away.

"Don't."

The corners of his mouth twitched up in irritation as he pried Hijikata's hand away.

"Kissing's no good, huh?"

"Kissing's no good." he affirmed.

Unreasonable as he was being, Hijikata had agreed to this on the condition that Gintoki would refrain from doing anything he didn't approve. And Gintoki was determined to keep that promise.

Slipping Hijikata's jacket off his shoulders, Gintoki undid the buttons of his white shirt. After tossing his clothes onto the chair, his hands traced Hijikata's sides, making him jolt when he pressed his lips to his bare chest. Lifting his head, Gintoki shifted a little on the bed, and he'd done little more than breathe over Hijikata's nipple when a hand suddenly shoved at his face again.

"Don't..."

Exasperated but still honouring his promise, Gintoki sat up and pried his hand away again.

 _Damn virgin..._ he thought, cautiously and slowly reaching down to unzip Hijikata's trousers.

Suddenly, two hands shot down to grab his before they could move any closer, Hijikata looking utterly panicked.

"Don't-!"

"What is it now?!" Gintoki snapped, the last of his patience slipping away.

Cupping his hands over his face, Hijikata rolled onto his side, frustrated with himself as rush of conflicting thoughts drowned out his sense of reason. He knew he was being senseless, but his nerves were getting the better of him.

Sighing, Gintoki left him curled up on his side to fetch the handkerchief from Hijikata's uniform. He regretted snapping at him, but they wouldn't get anywhere at this rate.

"New rule."

Lifting his hands off his face, Hijikata peered over his shoulder to see Gintoki standing above him, dangling the handkerchief.

"You just lay back and enjoy yourself. If anything hurts, you can take this off and hit me."

"...What's that for?" Hijikata mumbled through a deep pout.

"For the nervous lover." Gintoki said, bluntly.

Covering his eyes, Gintoki loosely wrapped the cloth around his head, tying the ends together in a single knot.

"You won't be as worried about something you can't see, right?"

A pale blush tinged Hijikata's cheeks as he lifted the handkerchief a little, to see Gintoki smiling back at him.

Guiding him to the middle of the bed, Gintoki eased him down on the pillow.

"No peeking." he said, pulling the cloth back down over his eyes.

In the dark, quiet seconds during which nothing happened, Hijikata heard his heart drumming in his ears, anxious in wait of what would follow. But every thought in his head disappeared when he felt something soft touch his lips, and Gintoki's breath tickled his cheek. He felt him pull away, and a moment later, his lower lip was being nibbled and sucked. A hand brushed him between the legs, and his trousers were being tugged off faster than he could protest. The sheets felt soft on his skin, and as his hands curled under the pillow, Gintoki's lips trailed over his jaw, stopping to blow in his ear, and smirking when he jerked.

"My bad."

He couldn't help teasing him just a little.

His thighs were being pushed apart as Gintoki placed himself between his legs, and his throat was being speckled with pinching bites and kisses. He felt Gintoki's breath on his nipple for the second time, and his back subtly arched off the bed at the touch of his tongue, his lips coaxing and kissing and sucking it red.

 _This guy's pretty easy to turn on..._ Gintoki mused, poking at his perked nipple.

Moving down, his lips trailed down his stomach, stopping to leave a bruising kiss in the middle of his waistline. When Gintoki's fingers wrapped around his cock, his legs jolted, and a nervous whimper escaped.

"What? Too rough?"

He was silent in reply to the question as Gintoki pressed fleeting kisses to his inner thigh.

"What's wrong? You can still talk, can't you? I didn't cover your mouth."

"Shut up..."

"You're pretty rude." Gintoki smirked, watching his legs feebly shift on the sheets with every slow stroke. He twitched at the feel of a tongue flicking over the tip of his cock, and his hands slid out from under the pillow.

"D-don't...!"

Ignoring his whines, Gintoki dipped his tongue in the slit. Two hands came down to shove at his head, and he grabbed one by the wrist, unbothered by the other's weak attempts to nudge him away. As he dragged his tongue up the underside of his cock, Hijikata drew in a shaky breath.

His reactions were making it terribly tempting to bully him - just a little.

Taking him in his mouth, he gave a teasingly light suck, relishing the sight of Hijikata growing restless and fidgety as he slowly swallowed him. His breathless moans filled the air, and his eyes were shut under the blindfold as his hips began move of their own will, Gintoki slacking his jaw and letting him thrust into his throat a few times before pinning his hips down on the bed. Having let go of Hijikata's wrist, his hands came to thread through his silver hair, quivering from the pleasure and biting his lip to silence the moans tugging at his throat. As he tightened his lips around his cock, Gintoki slowly lifted his head, pulling away when he felt a couple drops dribbling onto his tongue. He stared down at Hijikata's hips, still twitching with unrest, as if begging for his touch again.

For a minute, he felt Gintoki's hands disappear, and the sound of a cap being unscrewed reached his ears.

 _Is he drinking without me...?_ Hijikata wondered, about to lift up the blindfold when he suddenly felt a warm liquid spilling over his entrance.

Tossing the cap aside, Gintoki poured all the contents of the little black bottle between Hijikata's legs, cupping his hands to catch what dripped away, and rubbing it over his entrance, fondling his cock all the while to keep him from protesting too much. Slicked and cold, he pushed a finger inside him, unfazed when Hijikata suddenly jolted off the bed.

"What the fuck are you doing..?!" he breathed, wincing at the pinch of a second finger slipping inside.

"Yorozuya...!"

His muscles pulsed around Gintoki's fingers as he writhed on the sheets, and he desperately tried to close his thighs, only to have them spread wider.

"Ah-!"

Despite his rowdiness, Gintoki was focused as he pushed his fingers up in search of a nerve. Suddenly, Hijikata's back arched off the bed, and a gasp eluded him. Curiously, Gintoki pushed his fingers up against the same spot, watching his legs jolt up and his fingers clutch at the sheets.

"Found it." he murmured, his free hand wrapping around Hijikata's leg.

"...H-huh?"

His breath hitched when Gintoki deliberately rubbed the same spot, and stifled moans began trickling out like whimpers.

"Sto...p... stop... Yorozuya.. stop- nn!"

Any control he had left of his lower body slipped away as the sensation spread as quickly as a fire, grinding his hips against Gintoki's hand and spreading his legs, unable to hold his voice down any longer. As a third finger pushed inside, a groan tore from his chest, and he rolled his hips up as his breaths grew shallow and thin. And Gintoki was taken by surprise when Hijikata's twisting and panting suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

"Eh?"

When he looked up, he saw white drops splattered across his chest. Crawling up the bed, he lifted the blindfold to find his blue eyes glassy and narrow, his lips and cheeks flushed red, and his jaw slacked as his chest rose and fell with heavy breaths.

"Hehhh? You came already, Hijikata-kun?"

Though his eyes were looking in his direction, he seemed completely in a daze.

 _After all that resisting..._ Gintoki thought as he unzipped his shirt and tossed it on the floor.  _You're the one enjoying yourself the most..._

Blue eyes subtly followed his hands as they moved down to unzip his trousers.

"Hey, you think you can do that again for me?" Gintoki snickered. But Hijikata didn't know how to respond to his teases.

Weak from the high, his eyes simply watched Gintoki as he dragged him down the bed by his hips to bring him closer, placing one leg over his shoulder and pinning the other down on the sheets.

"This might hurt a little..."

Though he heard his warning, and he felt the head of his erection rubbing against his entrance, it didn't make sense to him until a sharp pain snapped him out of his daze. He slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his whimpers as Gintoki slowly pushed inside, feeling his muscles tense around his cock.

"Sto... stop! Yorozuya...!"

Blue eyes squeezed shut, and his breathing came to a halt. Using one hand to hold his hips steady, Gintoki wrapped a hand around his leg, planting kisses on his thigh as Hijikata twisted and kicked with his free leg, clawing at the sheets, groaning and whining and at the pain of his entrance being stretched. Only when he'd stopped moving did Hijikata still himself a little.

"Deep... Too deep...! Take it out! I'll kill you!" he rasped. "Take it out!"

Resting his head on Hijikata's knee, Gintoki quietly watched his feeble protests for a minute more. When he'd finally simmered down, he slowly moved inside him, trying to push against the spot that made him tick. But it quickly became clear to him that it would be difficult in this position. Pulling out, he watched Hijikata break into a pant, as though he'd only now begun to breathe again.

"Hey... Sit up."

"Hah?"

Hooking his arms under the small of his back, he helped him to sit up and pulled him into his lap, Hijikata's hands coming to rest on his shoulders. With his brows knitted and his lips in a frown, he met Gintoki's stare.

"What?" Hijikata muttered, their faces close enough that Gintoki felt the heat of his breath on his lips when he spoke.

"Somehow... I think you'll like it better this way."

"What are you talking about? Idiot. How is this any-"

His lips suddenly twisted shut when his entrance was stretched again, though he slid in a bit easier the second time. It was certainly more fun seeing his reactions this closely, Gintoki thought, as he placed his hands on Hijikata's hips and gently guided them to match his pace. Blue eyes fluttered down, and his teeth dug into his lower lip to muffle his voice again.

"Nn..."

 _Ah. That was a good sound. That was definitely a good sound, right?_ Gintoki thought.

As he thrust up against the same spot, a quiet gasp escaped Hijikata's lips, and Gintoki's blush darkened seeing his reaction.

"Does it feel good?"

"Shut... up..." Hijikata breathed, tightening his grip on Gintoki's shoulders.

His nails dug into his shoulders when Gintoki's hips moved faster, leaving red marks on the pale skin as a groan rumbled in his chest. Pulling him closer, Gintoki flicked his tongue over his nipple, grazing his teeth over the soft flesh as Hijikata's hands slid around his neck, grasping at the ends of his silver hair.

 _I'm not gonna last long like this..._ Gintoki thought, shuddering at the feel of Hijikata pulsing and tightening around his cock with every thrust.

His toes curled and eyes shifted down under Gintoki's stare, flustered from being watched so intently. Their cheeks brushed as he leaned forward, and lowered his head to hide his face. But he shivered instead at the feel of Gintoki's breath on the shell of his ear, and his hips began to thrust back. A raspy string of moans escaped him as his fingers trembled and his head tipped back, Gintoki licking and biting at the exposed skin on his throat, when he suddenly felt something warm dripping down his stomach.

_Eh?_

Looking up, he saw tears beading in the corners of his dazed blue eyes, his red lips parted as he drew in slow and shaky breaths.

_No way..._

He could hardly believe how sensitive Hijikata was.

Without a second thought, he threw him down on the mattress and nuzzled the nape of his neck, Hijikata's grip on him tensing as his hips moved faster. His back arched off the bed, and his legs wrapped around him, trembling as he dug his heels into Gintoki's back. Though his voice wouldn't surface above his panting, he cursed him when he suddenly felt Gintoki releasing inside him.

_Bastard...!_

As his hips gradually stilled, Hijikata's arms slid off his back and fell limply on the sheets, and his legs uncrossed, allowing Gintoki sit up.

Leering down at him, he reveled in the sight of Hijikata slack-jawed and panting beneath him, and his hands began to roam his body, causing him to jolt a little at their touch.

"Amazing..." Gintoki murmured. "You're really-"

He was cut off when Hijikata suddenly kicked at him. Dodging his foot, Gintoki snatched him by the ankle, and his lips twisted up in a wicked little smile.

"-something."

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lying motionless on the bed for a few minutes, and having caught their breath again, Gintoki rolled onto his side, finding Hijikata curled up under the covers with his back to him. He was so still Gintoki had to wonder;

_Is he asleep?_

He was about to reach out and nudge him when Hijikata stirred and sat himself up, running a hand over his neck.

"I need a shower..."

"Ah... About that..." Gintoki said, sitting up and glancing back at the digital clock on the nightstand.

"...What?"

"We have to be out by twelve o'clock."

"Hah?!"

_Shit. He looks really angry..._

"Don't fuck with me! I'm a mess because of you! Pay for an extra hour if you have to, bastard..." he spat, crawling to Gintoki's side of the bed and sitting up. But as soon as he attempted to stand up, he winced at a sharp pain that made him stumble back onto the bed. Curiously, Gintoki watched as he willed himself onto his feet again, blue eyes squeezing with the pain of taking a single step, before he staggered to the floor on his hands and knees.

"Oi... Y-you okay?"

His breathing was shallow and quick as he waited for the searing pain to subside. Truthfully, Gintoki had already anticipated that something like this might happen, and he'd intentionally chosen the night before his day off with that in mind.

"Here."

When Hijikata looked up, he saw Gintoki kneeling before him, holding out his white and blue kimono. "You can wear this until you shower. So your uniform doesn't have to get dirty."

Wordlessly, he sat up, a bit dumbfounded as Gintoki draped the kimono over his shoulders. For an inconsiderate bastard, he was being terribly... considerate. And while Gintoki bustled around the room collecting their things and dressing himself, Hijikata slid his arms through the sleeves, blue eyes following him everywhere he went. Once he'd scanned the room to make certain he hadn't missed anything, he returned to where Hijikata sat on the floor, putting his uniform and their swords down, and crouched down with his back to him.

"Here."

"...Eh?"

"Climb on."

For a moment, Hijikata simply stared at his back in silence.

"No way."

Clicking his tongue, Gintoki glared at him over his shoulder.

"Fine. You can wait here until someone from the Shinsengumi comes to pick you up. Is that better?"

As humiliating as it was being piggy-backed out of a love hotel, having someone from the barracks pick him up would be unmeasurably worse. That much was certain. So reluctantly, he climbed onto Gintoki's back, placing his hands on his shoulders as Gintoki's arms hooked under his knees, and he slowly stood up.

"Hold these." Gintoki said, Hijikata reaching over his shoulders and crossing his arms over his chest to hold their swords.

"Ahh.... I'm gonna die..." Gintoki whined as he trudged to the door carrying twice his normal weight.

"Shut up..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hijikata supposed he was thankful that the streets of Kabukicho were littered with drunks and freak shows that drew attention away from them, enough that they attracted hardly any eyes.

"I don't really know the way..." Gintoki said.

"Hm?" picking his sleepy head up, Hijikata pointed to a sushi shop at the far end of the street. "Walk straight until you get there... Then turn right."

It was quiet between them as Gintoki made his way down the street, and the rowdiest part of town was eventually left behind them. Hijikata, who was accustomed to waking at five every morning, could hardly keep his heavy lids up.

"Where do I go from here?" Gintoki asked, scanning the empty crossing. But his question went unanswered, and he looked down at his shoulder to find Hijikata fast asleep, his lashes fluttering faintly and the tip of his nose red from the cold.

"Oi..."

He blinked at him a few times, at a loss for what to do, before he turned with a sigh, and headed in a different direction.

When he finally arrived at the door, it was nearing one o'clock in the morning. Careful not to wake Kagura, he slid open the door as quietly as he could, tugged off his boots, and carried Hijikata to his bedroom. Only after he'd laid him down on the futon did Gintoki straighten his back, finding that carrying him across town came with the price of a heavy ache. As he stripped out of his day clothes and changed into his pajamas, he glanced back at Hijikata, who'd rolled over onto his side and placed himself in the middle of the futon.

 _Give me a break..._ Gintoki pleaded. And he stared down at him a minute before choosing not to disturb him, and settling to make himself comfortable on the edge of the futon. Despite hogging the futon, a guy like that was still easier to handle when he was asleep.

At four in the morning, when the first traces of light had only just returned to the sky, Gintoki woke up to the sound of a door rattling shut. His eyes flitted open just enough to see through a tangle of white lashes, that the middle of the futon was empty, and the white kimono had been left in his place. Even so, the scent of cigarette smoke clung to the fabric, and Gintoki fell back asleep feeling as though he were still there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The walk back to headquarters was no easy feat, but the pain had faded enough that he'd managed to carry himself back to his room, before collapsing on the floor. And he remained unmoving on the floor for a good thirty minutes, until he'd collected the strength he needed to stand up and drag himself to the kitchen.

As he sat in the empty room eating his breakfast at the table, he was joined by another officer taking a day off. However, this officer didn't join him to eat breakfast. Rather, he sat across from him at the table, staring at him intensely enough to bore a hole through him.

"Good morning, Hijikata-san." Sougo said at a length.

"Good morning." Hijikata mumbled, unfazed by his usual animosity.

"You came back pretty late last night..." he mused. "Ah, no. Technically it was early this morning."

Blue eyes flickered up to meet his stare, before returning to the bowl in his hand.

"Yeah. Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Well, I went to your room while you weren't here." Sougo answered calmly, hiding a devilish smile behind an innocent face.

"Che! I told you to stop doing that!" Hijikata snapped.

"But I know how much it annoys you..." Sougo shrugged, a faint smile creeping onto his lips as he tipped his head to the side, "And where were you?"

"...Private business." he mumbled, turning back to his food, though he was finding it difficult to eat in peace when the child in his company was only there to aggravate him. "It doesn't concern you."

A silence fell over them, during which Hijikata ate, and Sougo's eyes fixated on the faint bruises riddling Hijikata's throat where Gintoki's lips had been.

"Really?" he muttered.

"Yeah."

With that, Sougo stood up to leave, Hijikata waiting until he'd reached the hall to look up from his breakfast. It wasn't unusual for Sougo to interrogate him or treat him like a suspect, but somehow after the previous night's events, he felt a sense of unease watching him leave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A week had since passed, and on his next day off, Hijikata had spent his evening at the cinema. He was alone in the washroom when the door swung open and another theatre patron walked in. It was then his heart lurched at the feel of someone's hands sliding around his chest, and a chin came to rest on his shoulder. When Hijikata looked down at his waist, about to reach for his sword, he saw the sleeve of a familiar kimono. And his lips jerked into a bitter frown.

"What the fuck are you doing, bastard?"

"Nothing in particular."

"I'll kill you." he growled. "And don't stand over me when I'm peeing!"

"Hm? What's wrong? There's nothing down there I haven't already seen." Gintoki said, casually. "Or touched."

A blush rose to his cheeks, and he shoved an elbow into Gintoki's chest, though he didn't seem as affected as Hijikata would've liked.

"Hey, Hijikata-kun... play with me again." he murmured, pressing his lips to his ear.

"...You said once."

"Ah- that's right. I did. In that case, play with me again once."

"That's twice."

"No, no. It's again, once."

"Stop fucking around." he muttered, shoving him back and heading for the door, choosing to leave his hands unwashed than fare another second alone with him.

As he watched Hijikata leave, his fingers stretched out with the sudden urge to grab him and pull him into a stall. But he hesitated, and his hand returned to his side as the door shut.

On the sidewalk outside the theatre, Hijikata fumbled around in his sleeve for a cigarette, his nerves finally simmering down as he lowered the lighter and took a long drag. As he turned to head back to the barracks, he halted when someone called his name.

"Oh! Toshi! You're here, too!"

"Kondo-san? What are you doing here?"

"Ah... Well... My shift's ending so I thought I'd visit Otae at the cabaret."

He was about to discourage him from doing just that, when he was suddenly asked a favour.

"Actually, since you're here, too... Would you mind coming with me?"

"Hah?"

"Truth is, I always get a little nervous when I go to see her..." Kondo laughed, scratching the back of his head.

 _Anyone would be nervous in your position..._ Hijikata thought, both irritated and impressed with his persistence in stalking her. That aside, he couldn't find it in himself to turn down Kondo's request. At the very least, if he accompanied him he could pull him out before he suffered any major injuries or traumas.

"Fine." he sighed, to Kondo's relief, turning and walking down the street alongside his cheerful captain.

When they arrived at Tae's table, they paled at the sight of her violently stomping a familiar customer into the floor. She paused, however, and stepped away when Kondo waved to her and slid into the booth.

"What are you doing, idiot?" Hijikata called to the man face-down on the cracked floor.

Onerously raising himself onto all fours, Gintoki wiped the blood running from his nose with the back of his hand.

"I thought I'd try my luck at a free drink..."

"You should've known better." Hijikata sighed, smoke twisting from his lips as he spoke.

"Say-"

"Hm?"

"Could you buy me a drink?" Gintoki pouted at him, looking utterly pathetic with tears and blood smeared over his face.

"What makes you think you can get a free drink out of me?" he asked, vexedly.

"Well... I've already gotten lucky with you once, right?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drunk as he was, Hijikata distinctly remembered agreeing to buy Gintoki one drink, and one drink alone. Yet, of the two of them, Gintoki was the dizziest as they stumbled out of the cabaret, neither of them able to rescue Kondo as he was being beaten half to death by a tipsy Tae. But perhaps it was best not to involve themselves in a couple's private affairs.

"Hey... Where are you going...?" Gintoki called, slurring his words together as he followed Hijikata down the street.

"Home..."

As quickly as he'd said the word, he lost his balance at a sudden tug on his arm, and staggered backwards into the alleyway. When he regained his footing, he found himself pinned against a cement wall, being smothered by a suffocating kiss.

"Don't go home yet." Gintoki pleaded when he pulled away.

"Wh... what?"

"Don't go home..."

A cold hand slipped under his kimono and ran up his thigh, and he shivered when Gintoki dragged his tongue over his throat, groping him and sucking at a soft patch of skin beneath his jaw until it'd been tinged scarlet in contrast with his pale skin. His fingers curled into his white kimono, and he jolted at his cold touch when Gintoki's hand slid into his briefs.

"Not here... Not here!"

At that, red eyes flickered up, the lust in his stare making his heart stop.

"Somewhere else, then?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

He was curled up under the covers when the scent of cigarette smoke made him turn onto his side, and he saw Gintoki's pale back where he sat on the edge of the bed.

_Huh...?_

"Oi... What do you think you're doing with my smokes?" Hijikata grumbled when Gintoki lowered his hands to reveal a cigarette pinched between his fingers.

"Don't be so stingy." he sighed, and he shifted to face him, crossing his legs on the sheets as he held the cigarette to Hijikata's lips. "Here."

His brows knitted as he looked up at him, before snatching the cigarette and rolling onto his stomach. As Gintoki watched him smoke, his eyes traced over Hijikata's jawline, down his neck, and across his back, observing every scar and freckle on his skin. Of course, he wouldn't voice his thoughts, but he wondered to himself if Hijikata had always been this handsome. Though Hijikata looked straight ahead, he could feel his eyes on him, and was anxiously waiting for him to look away, but it seemed his stare was fixed on him.

"...What?" he asked at last.

At that, Gintoki's eyes finally flickered to the side.

"Nothing."

It was silent a while, until Gintoki turned to him again with a question.

"When's your next day off?"

"...None of your business."

His answer surprised him a little.

"Is that so...?" he mused, "But you really like being touched, don't you-"

"Shut up! I don't remember saying anything like that."

"No, no. I heard it from your body. It's pretty honest." Gintoki murmured, reaching down to trace a finger over the shell of his ear, making him shiver and shy away from his touch.

"...Don't get the wrong idea." Hijikata mumbled under his breath, showing him the back of his head. "I'm just doing you a favour is all."

"I appreciate that." he smirked, playing along with his stubborn act.

Hijikata kept his head turned away until he felt a cold touch on his shoulder, and he glanced back to find a candle in a tin being held up to his face. The scent of strawberries and vanilla was overwhelming. His nose crinkled, and he quickly turned his face away.

"Eh? Doesn't it smell good?"

"It's sweet."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Oi. Don't fall asleep yet." Gintoki whispered, shrugging his shoulder up to nudge him awake. He'd already carried him across town on his back, and he wasn't about to carry him all the way back just because he didn't know which door on the veranda belonged to Hijikata's room.

"It's... that one..." Hijikata rasped, and he pointed a finger to the room two doors over.

Sliding the door open, he carried him into the dark room, and carefully lowered him onto the futon. Sitting up, Hijikata rubbed his eyes and peered up at him as he headed for the door. For a second when Gintoki looked over his shoulder, their eyes met.

"Later." Gintoki waved, stepping out onto the veranda.

"Yeah."

Only after he'd slid the door shut did he notice a thin stream of light from a door that had been cracked open a few rooms away. As he started in the direction back home, his footsteps sounded on the wooden floorboards, and the light suddenly disappeared. When he reached the door that was visibly parted, he paused, and thoughtlessly slid it open. What he saw was two familiar auburn eyes staring up at him in the dark, as Sougo sat kneeling by the door, like he'd been eavesdropping. But the look on his face was as innocent as any child who'd been caught.

"Ah... Good evening." Sougo piped up.

His greeting was answered with a cold stare, as if he were being analysed and evaluated, before Gintoki's eyes softened a little.

"Good evening." he replied quietly, Sougo poking his head out to watch him walk away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Gintoki finally arrived home on achey feet, he found that the lights were on, and Kagura had dozed off where she sat on the couch, most likely waiting for his return.

"Go to bed." he sighed, resting a hand on her head.

When her eyelids flitted up, she stared at him a moment, before mumbling something he just barely caught.

"Gin-chan... You smell funny... Like that otaku..."

His eyes widened in surprise, but he supposed the smell of his cigarettes would stick to him for a while.

"You're imagining things." he said, gently ruffling her hair before heading to his bedroom, and sliding the door shut.

Tired and worn, he slumped back against the wall and sunk to the floor, crossing his hands over his knees and hanging his head as fatigue set in, making his lids feel heavy as lead. But even half asleep, his mind was still wide awake with thoughts of Hijikata. He replayed in his head the moments in which he'd breathed his name and held him tight, when his fingers had threaded through his hair as they kissed. His hands longed for the warmth of his skin and his silken black hair.

_"When's your next day off?"_

 

_"...None of your business."_

He tipped his head back with a long sigh, frustrated at how quickly he'd come to miss him, and how unsure he was of when he'd see him next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three days had come and gone since their last encounter. When Gintoki walked through the streets of Kabukicho, he would unconsciously search for Hijikata's figure. And when he thought he'd spotted him, he would perk up, only to find he was disappointed when it turned out to be another stranger with black hair. With every passing day, the disappointment heightened, and he wondered how hard Hijikata would hit him if he dropped by the barracks to see him. Even so, what would he say?

"I WON! Oi!" glancing around the Pachinko parlor, Gintoki grabbed at the sleeve of the first person who walked past him. "DID YOU HEAR ME? I WON!"

It was nearing eleven that same night when Hijikata heard a tap on his door. Still awake and sorting through a stack of paperwork on his table, he curiously stood up and cracked open the door, finding himself face to face with Gintoki.

"You..."

"Yo."

"Why are you here?"

A smile suddenly lit up his face, catching Hijikata off guard.

"Hijikata-kun, when are you free again?"

"...Hah?"

He would've simply turned him away, but somehow he didn't want to be the one to wipe that stupid smile off his face.

"I... I dunno..." he frowned, averting his eyes to the side. "...Sunday. Maybe. Why?"

Leaving his question unanswered, Gintoki grinned from ear to ear.

"Sunday it is. See ya."

And without another word, he started down the veranda.

"Hah?! Oi! Where are you going?!" Hijikata hissed after him as he strolled away. "What did you come here for?! Oi! Yorozuya!"

The days leading up to Sunday seemed long, Gintoki thought. On Thursday he'd roamed Kabukicho in search of a finer hotel. On Friday, he'd made a reservation. On Saturday, he'd put an extraordinary amount of effort into attempting to flatten his hair with a brush - much to his disappointment. And on Sunday, he'd spotted Hijikata on patrol, and tapped him on the shoulder.

When Hijikata looked back at him, he seemed to stiffen a little.

"Good afternoon..." he said, taking Gintoki by surprise. He couldn't recall an instance when Hijikata had been so polite. But he ignored the change, and opened his mouth to speak.

"Um, tonight-"

"Ah. About that..." Hijikata cut in. "It turns out I'm not free tonight."

Acting quickly in Gintoki's silence, he started down the street again before he could ask any questions, and waved to him.

"My bad. Some other time."

For a minute, Gintoki was frozen where he stood, watching him walk away. But not because he was particularly upset, rather that he was a bit stunned... or so he thought.

Truthfully, Hijikata had no business to attend to and no plans or promises to uphold that evening. He was merely trying to put some distance between them. With every passing day, Gintoki occupied his thoughts more and more, and at this rate, he feared he'd end up with an addiction worse than tobacco on his hands. Distancing himself was the wisest decision... or so he thought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With his bedroom door shut tight to keep the scent from creeping out, Gintoki sat beneath the open window with a cigarette clamped between his lips, half-lidded red eyes watching smoke twist up to the ceiling and disappear. A cold breeze swept in through the window and blew the smoke around the dark room. Though it was bitter and suffocating, he found pleasure in the scent that always clung to Hijikata's hair. Taking the cigarette from his lips, he smothered it on the floor, and left it crinkled and crumbling beside two others as he reached for a new one.

 _Last one..._ he thought, for the third time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten at night , Hijikata was lying wide awake, yet horribly still on his futon. Every minute or so he would shuffle and turn onto his other side, still himself, and repeat. It took an hour of twisting around under the covers before his eyes finally opened in defeat.

_Right now, that guy's probably..._

No, he couldn't fathom where Gintoki was or what he was doing. All he could say for certain was that he wasn't with him, on a night that he could've been. Instead he lay frowning on his pillow, remembering his touch, then resenting himself for it, or for thinking about him at all.

Sitting up, he stared down at his lap, waiting for his thoughts to quiet down. But the harder he tried not to think of him, the more he did, and the more fed up he became with himself. Perhaps a part of him regretted not seeing him, though it was afraid to admit it for fear of how the rest of him would react.

"Che..."

He rose to his feet and went to fetch his shoes. At a time like this, there was only one way to clear his head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The blue light from the television flickered in the room as Gintoki lay snoring where he'd fallen asleep on the couch. Only when a chaotic banging sounded at the door did he stir, and drowsily sit up.

_What...?_

As he regained his senses, the sound came again, making his heart skip a beat. He glanced at the clock on the wall, to find it was past two in the morning.

 _Who is that?_ he wondered, certain that no one would come hassling him about the rent at this hour.

"Open up! This is the police!"

At that, he paled as the blood drained from his cheeks, and he froze where he sat. But as the banging continued, he suddenly realised that voice was no stranger. Making his way to the door, he waited until the banging paused again, before sliding it open and watching Hijikata topple onto the floor.

He looked down at him in shock, waiting for him to pick himself up off the floor, before enough time had passed that concern began to creep in. Kneeling down, he poked him once in his neck, watching him lift his head and gaze up at him through glassy blue eyes.

"Hijikata-kun... Have you been drinking?"

"No." he asserted.

"Liar."

"Who're you... Who're you calling a liar?!" he slurred angrily, raising himself onto his knees. "Say that again! Bastard-"

"Shh!"

If his voice got any louder, he would surely wake Kagura. Helping him up off the floor, Gintoki dragged a stumbling Hijikata to his room, and quietly closed the door.

While Hijikata sank to the floor, Gintoki put his ear the door, listening to see if Kagura was stirring. It was quiet, to his relief. But he whipped his head back around at the sound of zipper being pulled down, followed by a warm touch between his legs. When he looked down, he saw Hijikata nuzzling against his crotch in his drunken stupor. Stunned and speechless, Gintoki watched his brows furrow when he realised his briefs were in the way, and he angrily tugged them down, as if to teach them a lesson.

"O-oi... What are you doing?"

"Shut up..." he mumbled, his fingers loosely gripping his cock and stroking him. "Don't tell me what to do..."

"I'm not telling you what to do, I'm asking!"

"Then you must be blind." Hijikata shrugged, shooting him a cheeky glance, as if he'd just made the cleverest comeback in history.

He would've liked to burst his bubble, but instead he bit his lip when Hijikata lazily dragged his tongue over the tip. His movements were slack and messy, but he was hard just watching his lips brush over his cock. Dipping his head down, he ran his tongue from the base to the tip, and flicked it over the slit, again, and again, until Gintoki was forced to cup a hand over his mouth to keep quiet. His free hand came to rest on Hijikata's head, sweeping his hair aside and brushing over his ear, making him shiver a little as he looked up to meet his eye. With his lips loose and jaw slacked, he took him in his mouth, Gintoki's breath hitching at the warmth as he touched the inside of his cheek. The view from where he stood above him was enough to make his heart race, seeing his cheeks flushed and his lips dark with saliva as he placed a hand on his leg, and his fingers curled into Gintoki's black trousers.

"Oi... That's enough..." he huffed, taking his hand off his mouth. But his plea fell on deaf ears, and he shuddered when he swallowed him deeper into his throat.

"Stop... Hijikata-kun...! I'll-"

"Hm?" he hummed, his lips suddenly vibrating against his cock and pushing him over the edge. Blue eyes squeezed shut, and he coughed as he pulled away, gasping for air.

"I told you..."

Still coughing and fondling him with one hand, Hijikata gazed up at him, his mouth hanging open as he drew in heavy breaths. He was drunk beyond belief, that much was obvious. And Gintoki wouldn't lay a hand on him in this state.

"Oi." moving Hijikata's hand away, he pulled up his briefs. "Go to bed."

"...Huh? We haven't done anything yet-"

"Gin-san won't touch you when you're like this." he said, making his way to the futon and pulling the covers down for him.

"Like what?! I'm not drunk! Did you hear me?!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Bastard! You don't believe me, do you?!"

Honestly, Gintoki wasn't sure if he was insistent on maintaining a lie, or if he was genuinely so drunk that he didn't realise he was drunk.

Despite his noisy protests, once Gintoki had wrangled him into the futon he'd fallen asleep in a matter of seconds. As he crawled beneath the covers and settled on the pillow, he found himself staring at Hijikata's sleeping face, his lips still in a pout as though he were angry even in sleep. He was almost, sort of...

 _Cute..._ Gintoki thought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even after the sun had begun rising, the drapes kept the bedroom dark and quiet. Having already been awake for a few minutes, his heavy lids finally lifted, and Gintoki glanced at the clock on the floor. 6:13AM it read, and he was confused as to why Hijikata was still sound asleep in his bed. Had he overslept?

"Oi… Wake up…" he rasped, brushing his dark hair out of his eyes. But he paused when his hand brushed over his forehead, surprised by how hot his skin was. On closer inspection, he could see even in the dark that his cheeks were flushed and his lips were twisted in pain. He rested a hand on his cheek, watching his face soften at the comfort of a cold touch. Blue eyes cracked open, struggling to focus as he slowly parted his lips to speak.

"What time is it…?" he asked, his voice coming out a whisper.

"…It’s still three."

Overwhelmed with relief, Hijikata closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep, burying his face in the pillow. Lying had made him a bit anxious, and he second guessed himself when he wondered if telling the truth would’ve been for the best. But if he had, this idiot surely would’ve left for work with a burning fever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When blue eyes flitted open again, sunlight filled the room, and panic began to set in seconds later when he realised he'd overslept. As he sat up, he winced at a dull pain in his head, every muscle in his body feeling achey and heavy. Dragging himself onto his feet, he swayed a little, dizzy and disoriented as he stepped forward and opened the bedroom door. He saw Gintoki lounging on the couch reading a copy of Jump, and he leaned against the doorframe as his legs, little by little, lost the strength they needed to keep him upright.

"Oh. You're awake?"

"What time is it?"

Lowering his Jump, Gintoki glanced at the wall clock.

"Two o'clock."

At that, blue eyes widened in horror; he'd missed work without any explanation. Moreover, Sougo would-

"Don't worry." Gintoki reassured him, lazily waving his hand in the air. "I contacted Gorilla and told him you're sick. I said you asked to stay here so you wouldn't be a burden on them."

Hijikata was a little shocked at how easily he'd dispelled every worry in his head. But he was on the verge of collapsing as he inched closer to the floor, and he didn't have the strength to ask questions.

"Go back to bed."

Obliged to listen, Hijikata crawled back to the futon on his hands and knees, and gratefully huddled under the covers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When he came to again, the room was dim and the sun had nearly set. His aches were lesser and milder than they'd been in the afternoon, but he remained bundled up beneath the covers for a few minutes, until he heard the door sliding in its frame behind him, followed by a silence.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Gintoki peering at him through the opening.

"Ah... You're finally awake, huh? Aren't you hungry?" he asked quietly, opening the door a little further as Hijikata sat up.

"No... Thanks anyway."

Only moments after he'd said the words, a horrid sound rumbled from his stomach, and his lips jerked into a frown.

"Wait there." Gintoki said, sparing him any cheeky remarks that would only add to his embarrassment.

Staring down at his lap, Hijikata sat still and silent on the futon, listening to the sound of cupboards closing and bowls clattering. When Gintoki returned, he set a bowl of fried rice down beside him with a glass of water. Truthfully, Hijikata was a little flustered by his kindness. He could vaguely recall drinking the night before, but he had no recollection of how he'd ended up at Yorozuya, or why he was ill and in Gintoki's care.

The rice was a little bland, admittedly, but he would eat it nonetheless. Taking small bites, his eyes wandered the room as he ate, suddenly fixating on the ash sprinkled over the mat where a few cigarettes lay crinkled and smothered into the floor. He stared at them for a while, wondering if they were Gintoki's, though he knew there was no one else they could've belonged to. As he chewed the last bite, he set the empty bowl and the chopsticks down neatly on the floor, sitting in silence and thinking about the cigarettes beneath the window. At the sound of the door opening, his head reflexively jerked the other way.

"Oi. Over here." Gintoki called, kneeling at his bedside.

When he turned his head around, a hand came to rest on his forehead. Blue eyes fluttered down at the cool touch on his skin, nearly leaning against his hand when it traveled down to his cheek and under his chin.

"Well... you're still a little warm." Gintoki mused, Hijikata's eyes opening as he pulled his hand away and picked up the empty bowl. "If you can sleep again that's probably best."

"...Thanks for the meal."

"Ah."

As he stood up, Hijikata sank back down onto the pillow, and shifted onto his side.

"Sorry about this..." he murmured, so quietly Gintoki had to wonder if he'd imagined it.

"Just focus on getting better, yeah?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Effortlessly, Hijikata slept through the night, while Gintoki took to the couch to keep from disturbing him. And the sun had barely crept into the sky when Gintoki woke up to the light sound of footsteps in the main room, red eyes flitting up to see Hijikata walking past him. Reaching an arm out, he took him by the wrist to check his temperature, startling him a little as he looked back. Relieved that his fever had run its course, Gintoki's fingers uncurled, and his arm dropped back down.

"Take it easy, alright..?" he mumbled groggily, before his heavy lids fell again.

 _You take it easy..._ Hijikata thought, picking up the corner of his blanket that had slipped onto the floor, and tucking it by his feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He was seated on a red stool at the Pachinko parlor, patting his pockets for any remaining cash to gamble away, when the bell at the entrance door chimed, and a man in uniform walked in.

"Yo, Oogushi-kun." he waved.

Gritting his teeth, Hijikata stopped dead in his tracks.

"Who're you calling Oogushi-kun?! Che... You _would_ waste your time in a place like this..."

"Hm?" Gintoki quirked a brow. "Were you looking for me?"

"...Yeah." he said at a length, blue eyes flickering to the side. "China girl told me you'd be here... Anyway, you're not doing anything, right?"

"Actually, I'm about to hit it big-"

"You're not doing anything, right?" Hijikata cut in, lacking any tolerance for his gambler's delusions. "I'll buy you dinner."

For a promise that should've had him overjoyed, Gintoki was rather quiet, even nervous, Hijikata thought.

"...What's the catch?" he muttered.

"What catch? Why are you looking at me like that?!"

"N-no, no! It's just... Hijikata-kun isn't normally this generous-"

"Shut up! Don't you know what it means to be grateful?" he mumbled. "Anyway... this is just a thanks for taking care of me. So hurry up before I change my mind... Bastard..."

Huffing a breath of smoke, he started for the door, Gintoki wordlessly following after him.

For a few metres, Gintoki continued walking behind him, before scurrying to catch up and walk alongside him. Though he opened his mouth to speak, he quickly closed it again, finding he didn't know quite what to say, and instead followed him in silence to an unoccupied food stall.

"Order whatever you like." Hijikata muttered as they took their seats.

For the first time that evening, Gintoki looked delighted skimming the menu, as he should have, Hijikata thought.

"I'll have the beef udon, then." Gintoki chirped.

"I'll take a tempura udon." Hijikata added.

When their bowls were set down before them, Gintoki stared in awe at the giant mushrooms piled in the corner.

"Hm?" slurping up noodles, Hijikata looked up from his food to find Gintoki clamping a giant mushrooms between his chopsticks, and holding it up for him to see. "Hehh? That's the first time I've seen mushrooms like that in udon..."

"Right?!"

Turning back to his own food, Hijikata jumped a little when a giant mushroom suddenly plopped into his bowl. He glanced up at Gintoki again, who was munching on his own noodles when he met his eye.

"Try it, yeah? If you like it, there's more-"

He was interrupted by a loud cough, Hijikata lowering his head as his ears flushed red. Whether he was blushing or simply cold, Gintoki couldn't say, but in the corner of his eye he watched him sift through his food with his chopsticks for a minute or two, before suddenly lifting his head in surprise as though he'd remembered the food was meant to be eaten.

 _Cute..._ he mused.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Thanks for the meal." Gintoki grinned.

The tips of their noses were glowing red from they cold, as they stood on the street where their paths diverged.

"We're even." Hijikata sighed, showing him his back as he started in the other direction.

For a minute, Gintoki remained where he stood, watching his figure shrink as the distance between them grew, before finally turning and heading down the path home.

At the sound of his boots on the pavement, Hijikata paused and looked over his shoulder, watching his back disappear in the crowd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

His leg was bouncing impatiently as he sat on the edge of the bed in his trousers, waiting for Hijikata to finish showering. More than a week had passed since he'd last seen him, and every minute in wait of him seemed like an hour.

Sliding open the shower door, Hijikata eyed the little white box poking out from under his kimono on the counter. On his way to the hotel, he'd been drawn to a fragrance shop, and somehow ended up leaving the shop with a bar of strawberry-vanilla soap in a lacy little bag. After a few seconds of dithering between using it or not, he reached out and pulled it into the shower, tearing the plastic off the box and dropping the bar of soap in his hand. Only after he'd begun lathering it on his skin did he realise how disgustingly sweet a scent it was, and he regretted his decision to use it, convinced it was too much.

When he stepped out of the washroom wearing only a towel, Gintoki snapped to attention, shamelessly ogling his body as he walked towards him. Taking his hand, he pulled him into his lap, suddenly enticed by the sweet aroma on his skin.

"You... smell nice." he murmured, sliding his arms around his waist and pressing a kiss to his stomach. "Really nice..."

His lips roamed up his chest, Hijikata's heart leaping when he suddenly threw him down on the bed. His back arched off the sheets as Gintoki's lips trailed over his hip bone, down his thighs, along his calf, anywhere they could reach. Crawling up the bed, Gintoki leaned in to get a whiff of his hair, nibbling and licking at the soft skin beneath his jaw, before he pulled him closer, and his teeth grazed over his collarbone. A sigh eluded him when Gintoki started grinding into hips, and his lips brushed over his nipple and huffed a breath of hot air over his chest.

"That's enough..." he rasped, feeling his skin tingle at his touch as Gintoki's hands roamed his body, running over his back and down his sides, across his thighs and back over his neck.

Grinding harder into his hips, Gintoki licked at the shell of his ear, making him shudder as he grabbed at his silver hair, trying to pull him away. But his fingers were weak, and his voice would hardly surface.

"Quit playing around..." he huffed. "Oi..."

He shivering at a sudden bite to his earlobe, and his hips jolted up, Gintoki matching his rhythm as he rolled his hips, and his breath hitched as his blue eyes shut tight.

Lifting his head, Gintoki looked at his face to find his lips loose and his cheeks flushed, watery-eyed as he drew in shallow breaths. He knew that face well enough that there was no need to look down. Though he bit back his snicker, he couldn't stop the smirk creeping onto his lips.

"My bad, Hijikata-kun."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite that Hijikata was slumbering away on his shoulder as he carried him back, Gintoki had learned the way, and his only challenge was in trying to slide open Hijikata's bedroom door without letting go of his leg. Using his hand to separate it an inch from the wall, he opened it the rest of the way with his foot, and stepped inside. Suddenly, he halted when he spotted two legs crossed on the floor, and lifted his gaze to find Sougo sitting on Hijikata's futon. For a moment, they simply stared at each other in silence, until Gintoki stepped forward, and Sougo moved to sit on the floor. Auburn eyes flickered between the two of them as Gintoki carefully laid a sleeping Hijikata down on his bed, and slipped a hand under his head to gently lower him down onto the pillow. Watching him pull the covers over him, Sougo was a bit surprised at how careful the usually tactless samurai could be. As Gintoki straightened himself up, he shot him a stern glance, as if to warn him not to cause any trouble.

When he stepped outside, Sougo followed him onto the veranda, waiting until he'd closed the door to catch him by the sleeve.

"Danna, you... Like Hijikata-san a lot, don't you?"

Quietly, Gintoki blinked at him a few times, unsure where he was going with his train of thought.

"Then, could you stop bringing him back here?" Sougo continued, as though he were asking him a favour.

"Hah?"

"Just take him home with you."

"...You're a pretty mean kid." Gintoki mused.

"The truth is, I thought the only way to get rid of Hijikata-san was to kill him. But if you take him as your wife, that'll work just as well."

Yet again, Gintoki stared at him in a silence, before he brought a hand up, and flicked him on the forehead, making him flinch as he cupped a hand over the tingling skin.

"Brats should be asleep at this hour." he sighed. "Hurry up and get to bed."

But Sougo simply stood motionless on the veranda, watching him walk away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To his great displeasure, Hijikata found himself being joined by Sougo yet again as he ate his breakfast in solitude. Avoiding his eye, he kept his gaze fixed on his food when Sougo seated himself across the table.

"Say, Hijikata-san..."

"Hm?"

"What's it like having a boyfriend?"

Staggered by his question, he lowered his chopsticks, before he hastily recomposed himself and continued eating, trying to play off the absurd question as casually as he could.

"I dunno what you mean."

"No need to be modest." he shrugged. "I asked the owner of that tacky hotel... Six visits in the last month, he said."

At the very least, he felt the horror on Hijikata's face deserved him an explanation.

"Well, he didn't want to talk. But I bribed him."

"With what?" Hijikata hissed through gritted teeth.

"His life. So don't kill him now."

There was a pause in which he reveled at the sight of Hijikata silently glowering at him, as if contemplating whether to draw his sword and kill him in that very spot.

"You look really scary, Hijikata-san." he mused, though he seemed unaffected by it.

"Oi... Sougo... What do you think you're doing?" he muttered.

"Nothing really. I just wanted to sit down and have a talk with your boyfriend. Wouldn't it be best for everyone if you resigned as vice chief and settled down with him as your husband?"

"Che! Like that would happen!" he snapped. "Don't misunderstand! He's not my boyfriend! It's not that kind of thing!"

For a moment, Sougo stared at him curiously, before uttering a single word-

"Liar."

-and standing up to leave.

"Hah?! Who're you calling a liar?!" he shouted after him as he stepped into the hall. "Oi! Sougo! Get back here!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a late autumn evening, the streets of Kabukicho were littered with people bundled up in scarves and gloves, quite unlike Gintoki who shivered as he made his way home, the sudden cold having caught him by surprise.

 _It was warm this morning..._ he brooded, huffing on his fingers to keep them from going numb.

He stopped when he spotted a familiar uniform in the crowd, and he was about to call his name when their eyes suddenly met. Hijikata twitched as though he'd just seen a ghost, and hastily turned to head in the opposite direction.

 _...What's with him?_ Gintoki wondered.  _Is he angry about something? He looked kind of angry... He always looks kind of angry, but maybe he looked more than kind of angry... Mm..._

However, he wasn't given much time to overthink the encounter, because he spotted him only a minute later at a crossing.

"Hijikata-kun." he called.

Though he stilled a little at the call of his name, he kept his back to him as he walked on. If he didn't know any better... he'd have thought Hijikata was ignoring him.

Hastening his step, Gintoki reached out to take his wrist, only to have his hand slapped away when their fingers brushed.

_Eh...?_

"Hi...Hijikata-kun?"

"...Don't touch me." he muttered, before he started down the street again, leaving Gintoki stunned at the crossing.

As he hurried to put a distance between them, he wondered if Gintoki's expression had changed. He wondered if there was hurt or anger in his eyes, or if his fingers had been trembling from the cold or from the shock, but he resisted the urge to look back.

If he was serious about ending this, he'd be stupid to waver now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nights had grown terribly silent; every living thing had fled from the cold. Restless in the quiet, Hijikata twisted and turned on his futon, finding it difficult to clear his head and sleep when his thoughts were the loudest of all. Two weeks had passed since their last encounter, and he'd since convinced himself that he had nothing left to say to Gintoki. Bitterly or not, the matter had been resolved. Only after his confrontation with Sougo had Hijikata realised that their one-time promise had spiraled into something he couldn't afford. It was inevitable that it would come to end, and admittedly... it should never have started in the first place.

Sighing, he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, blue eyes flitting down as the sound of his heartbeat rose above the silence, like the slow ticking of a clock. Suddenly, his ears perked at the sound of footsteps in the distance, and he sat up when the rowdy noise of feet racing across the veranda came to an abrupt stop outside his room, followed by what sounded like a graceless stumble. Motionless where he sat, he held his breath as he watched the door slide open, and Gintoki listlessly crawled into the room on all fours. The stench of liquor hung heavy in the air, and his red eyes seemed lazier and duller than ever.

"Hiiiiijikaaaaaata-kuuuu-"

Before he could finish, Hijikata slapped a hand over his mouth and hushed him before his voice traveled any further.

"Shut up!" he hissed.

Gazing at him through glassy eyes, he licked the palm of his hand, making him twitch and pull away as Gintoki crawled onto the futon, and bumped foreheads with him.

"Oi... I'm sorry..." he mumbled.

"Hah? For what?"

"For what...?" Gintoki frowned, his brows knitting in frustration as he deeply pondered the question. "Um... that of course."

"...That?"

"That thing I did that made you angry... You were really angry, you know..."

This drunken idiot didn't have a clue, Hijikata thought, though he couldn't say he was surprised. And yet, he felt a strange sense of guilt set in, hearing him apologise for an incident that never happened.

"Idiot... Don't apologise for something you can't remember."

"But if I don't apologise, you might never come back, right?" he pouted, touching noses with him.

Sighing, Hijikata lightly pushed at his chest to distance him a little; his breath was making him dizzy.

"Don't talk like I'm yours..."

He lost his balance when Gintoki suddenly shoved him down on the futon, and pinned his hands to the pillow.

"What are you talking about, dumbass?" he muttered, his red eyes narrowing in anger. "What do you mean you're not mine? I don't get it!"

Too stunned to speak, Hijikata merely stared up at him with his lips sewn shut.

"Are you sleeping with someone else?"

"...No."

"Then, did you fall in love with someone else?"

When his question was met with silence, Gintoki blinked and his lips twisted up, as if he were choking back tears.

"Who is it?! Give me a name...!"

"...There's no name."

Only after hearing his answer was Gintoki able to breath a little easier, and he slowly sunk down onto his chest, burying himself in the nape of his neck.

"Then, don't say you're not mine..."

For a while, blue eyes were fixed on the ceiling as he lay still, feeling the heavy thump of Gintoki's heart on his chest. Slipping a hand out of his grasp, he brushed his silver hair out of his face, finding he'd already passed out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the late morning sunlight pried his eyes open, Gintoki sat up to find Hijikata had left for work, and both the inner and outer doors had been shut. Suffering from a painfully dry throat and a heavy head, he glanced around the room and picked himself up off the futon, staggering to the bureau in the corner and rummaging through the drawers.

Upon returning to his room that evening, Hijikata found the door cracked open and his futon made tidy. In the middle of the cover, he spotted a scrap of paper with a message scribbled on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So... What did you wanna talk to me about?"

At the same diner they'd met in on their first night, the samurai and officer sat across from each other at a booth in the corner. Though the air outside was cold, the sunlight streaming in through the window was warm. Hijikata was nervously sipping water through a straw, while Gintoki sat with his elbow on the table and his chin resting in his hand, gazing at him through dull, half-lidded eyes.

"Um... Could you fall in love with me once?"

Spitting his water back through the straw, Hijikata coughed and sat up, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. For a moment, he met his gaze, before turning around in his seat to call for the waitress.

"The bill please-"

"They haven't brought our food yet."

Reluctantly, he turned back around, his lips in a crooked frown as Gintoki stared out the window.

"I've been thinking lately... I like you a lot." he said, bluntly, and his eyes flickered up to catch his expression, finding Hijikata's eyes looked the other way. "Playing around is fun and all... But I kinda wanna see you outside of hotels. And... I kinda want the right to get angry if I see you with someone else, y'know?"

With every word, Hijikata's cheeks turned redder.

"And maybe you can stay at my place sometimes. And not leave before I wake up... And another thing-"

When Gintoki suddenly disappeared in the corner of his eye, Hijikata looked up. He felt a tug on his hand, and his heart jumped as he was yanked under the table.

"What are you doing?!" he snapped, eyes widening when Gintoki suddenly cupped a hand over his mouth, and put a finger to his lips to hush him.

Leaning in, he lifted his hand off Hijikata's mouth, and stilled him with a kiss. Blue eyes fluttered shut, and his lips parted as Gintoki's hand slid into his and laced their fingers. Red eyes flitting open, Gintoki bit down on his bottom lip, tugging on it as he pulled away.

"...I wanna kiss you without a reason. Or... something like that."

At that, Hijikata's blush crept up to his ears, and his eyes shifted to the side.

"Am I asking too much?"

 _No..._ he thought. But the memory of his conversation with Sougo haunted him still, and he doubted how well he could hide their secret.

But perhaps... it was worth the risk.

"...I could agree to that." he mumbled.

"Can you swear to it?"

When he looked down, Gintoki was holding out his little finger. After staring at it a moment longer, he timidly held out his own pinky, Gintoki hooking them together in a promise.

"I'm... just doing you a favour." Hijikata frowned.

"I appreciate that." Gintoki grinned. Seeing his face light up, Hijikata felt a smile tug at his own lips, and his eyes softened.

"Did the customer who ordered the triple scoop sundae leave?" the waitress called.

Thrown into a frenzy by the question, Gintoki rushed to straighten up, and banged his head on the underside of the table. Wincing in pain, he climbed back into the seat and raised his hand, holding the other over his pounding skull.

"No! He's here!" he shouted back.

Still cross-legged under the table, Hijikata gaped down at his pinky, wondering what he'd gotten himself into.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The late morning sunlight had flooded the room, tickling his eyelids as they fluttered up. Beside him on the pillow, Gintoki was still slumbering away with his mouth hanging open, faint snores filling the air around him. His white lashes were tangled together in his sleep, and his hair was more tousled a mess than usual.

A pale blush tinged his cheeks as he curiously brought a hand up, and touched the tip of his finger to Gintoki's nose, watching it crinkle, followed by a quiet sneeze.

_Cute..._

Red eyes cracked open, and blinked at him a few times.

"...Morning." Gintoki rasped.

"Morning." he cooed, shuffling closer on the pillow to give him a kiss.

Just as their lips brushed, the door suddenly flew open, startling them as Hijikata bolted upright. In the doorway, Sougo stood in his day-off clothes.

"What's this?" he said loudly for everyone to hear. "Hijikata-san, is there someone in your bed?"

A blush flared across his cheeks, and he tugged the blanket over Gintoki's head.

"Quit lying! There's nobody here!" he shouted back.

"Really?" Sougo drawled, sauntering into the hallway. "Can we get a third opinion, please?"

"Oi! Sougo!"

Peering out from under the covers, Gintoki watched as Hijikata stood up from the bed and chased him into the hall, completely unaware of the dark bruise Gintoki's lips had left in plain sight on his neck.

 _Ahh... Where are my shoes?_ Gintoki wondered in a panic.  _I should leave while I still can..._

 


End file.
